Brand-new guidelines announced for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease
At the International Alzheimer’s Congress (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), new guidelines for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, developed by clinicians and researchers from across the world, have been announced.
The criteria outlined that the disease could be diagnosed using blood biomarkers, a similar diagnostic approach for diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In recent years, a blood test has been developed for this use and has shown promising results, according to recent research.
Charlotte Teunissen, Professor of neurochemistry at Amsterdam UMC (The Netherlands), who was involved in drafting the new guidelines, commented:
“A new generation of biomarkers is now available to detect Alzheimer’s disease more and more effectively. We have already gained a lot of experience with this in our Alzheimer’s center, but in the long term the test can also be successfully implemented after a GP’s referral.”
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The latest research from Amsterdam UMC, in collaboration with Alzheimer Nederland (Amersfoort, The Netherlands) has revealed that a high proportion of individuals with cognitive symptoms want to know whether they have the early stages of Alzheimer’s, in order to take control of their diagnosis and the next phases of their life. Using blood biomarkers in Alzheimer’s diagnosis fulfills this desire and is a gateway to early treatment. Blood tests are typically an inexpensive method that is easily administrable anywhere. Previously, specialized clinics were the only facility to do proper analysis and offer a diagnosis via a blood test.
Earlier this year, Swedish research, presented at the Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease conference, showed that biomarkers can be more reliable than analysis from a primary care physician. Additionally, blood tests are less stressful for the patient than current methods, in which the cerebrospinal fluid is analyzed through an invasive lumbar puncture or via an expensive PET scan.
The new guidelines, developed by an international committee of practitioners and researchers on behalf of the International Alzheimer’s Association and the American National Institute on Aging, mark new steps forward in Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Alzheimer’s was previously defined by identifying brain pathology and cognitive decline in which the disease manifested itself. However, the new guidelines prioritize biomarkers for diagnosis, as more biomarkers with excellent diagnostic performance have been developed and clinically validated in recent years.
This approach to Alzheimer’s diagnosis is more relevant than ever, as targeted therapies such as lecanemab have already received approval in the US and are currently under review by the European Medicines Agency.
